


Wilting Bush Flower

by Catbunblue302



Series: Whump for Bunnies [19]
Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: Angst, Can be interpreted as Sniper/Engineer, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, One Shot, Sad, Sad Ending, Whump, Whumptober 2020, Zombie Apocalypse, at least attempting to be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:00:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27537211
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catbunblue302/pseuds/Catbunblue302
Summary: The dead walk. Sniper and Engineer search for supplies in this changed world.
Series: Whump for Bunnies [19]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1949197
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	Wilting Bush Flower

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in a weird headspace so if it's bad blame that
> 
> Also read the tags please for warnings

The morning sun painted the world in soft watercolors as it rose, oranges and creams and pinks. Engineer squeezed his eyes shut tighter as the light shone through the window. He groaned and rolled over, panicking himself awake when he almost fell off the bed. Beds belonged in corners goddamnit and he would defend that point to his dying breath.

Engineer didn’t like supply runs. He hated being away from his workshop, he hated having to be on guard all the time, and he hated waking up in strange houses. This was the fifth time in as many days he’d almost fallen off a bed. But he was one of the few people in their group that knew first aid and if he didn’t go along Medic would have to. Engineer felt guilty forcing Medic away from his work.

The sooner he got up the sooner he could get back. So Engineer yawned, stretched, and shuffled out to the living room. Apparently he was quieter than he thought because when he walked in Sniper didn’t look up. The Aussie was sitting cross-legged on the floor, a stuffed koala cradled in his lap. His eyes were red and Engineer could see tear tracks lined down his face. The Texan froze, knowing he wasn’t meant to see Sniper like this. Engineer shifted his weight, about to try and sneak back down the hall but the floorboards creaked under him.

Sniper jumped, instinctively reaching for his kukri. When he recognized Engineer he dropped it back on the dusty floor.

“Sorry.” He said. “Lost in thought.”

The whole situation had been hard for everyone, harder for those who had no way to contact their family. Sniper didn’t say anything about it but Engineer could tell losing the phones had hit him hard. He carried the koala everywhere, was violently protective of the mug his mother had bought him. Sniper didn’t even know if his parents were dead or alive and it hurt Engineer to know he couldn’t do anything to help.

He clapped Sniper on the shoulder and silently busied himself with making their breakfasts, giving the marksman time to compose himself. By the time the sandwiches were finished Sniper had his koala tucked away and the tears cleaned off his face.

Engineer handed him his breakfast.

“Thanks Dell.”

“No problem.”

A few weeks after the world had ended the whole team had sat around a crackling fire and quietly shared their real names. Even Spy. They still mainly called each other by their class names. It was what they were used to and a small shred of normal to cling to in the harshly changed world.

Nobody could say what had happened because by all accounts it shouldn’t have. Sure, the living dead were fatal if they bit but they were slow and stupid, easy to pick off or outrun if you could move faster then a gentle stroll.

The pair finished their sandwiches and packed up, shotgun and sniper rifle in hand as they headed out. They were mostly silent as they swept through nearby buildings. Sniper talked a lot less now and between being the emotionally supportive rock of the team and working around the clock to maintain sentry defenses Engineer didn’t have the energy to coax him to.

Around midday they happened across a pharmacy. They glanced in, expecting to see the shelves picked clean like almost every other store they’d come across. They weren’t.

“You seein’ this, Slim?”

Sniper nodded, mute in his amazement.

They restrained themselves just long enough to perform a quick sweep of the area then set onto the shelves like rabid wolves. Medicine, toothpaste, bandages, soap.

“Goin’ to check the back.” Sniper said.

Engineer acknowledged him with a grunt, too busy trying to find the pharmacy on the map to give him anything more.

It took Sniper a long time and Engineer was just about to go looking when he came back.

“Find anythin’?”

Sniper wordlessly held up a bag full of pills.

The pair left and headed back towards base. Without sweeping the area they made quick time. The sunset found them setting up camp on a wooded hill. Engineer pitched their tent and Sniper made a fire. In the flickering light they settled and sat quietly.

Finally Sniper spoke. “Need to show you somethin’.”

He pulled up the hem of his shirt and Engineer saw the bite on his stomach. Blackened veins spiderwebbed out from it.

Oh God.

No.

Not Sniper.

Not Mick.

“Ok,” It wasn’t ok. “C’mon get up. We gotta move. Git ya back ta base-”

“Engie.”

“-Doc can fix ya up-”

“Truckie.”

“-Don’t know what he can’t fix-”

“Dell! Stop.” Sniper grabbed his hands stilling him. “I don’t want to become one of those things.”

“We’ll get back in time.”

Lies, lies. His momma had raised a liar.

“You’ve seen what happens to people. They cry, they scream, they try to rip open their own skin. I don’t want to spend the last hours of my life in agony.”

“I’m not lettin’ ya go down without a fight. We hafta try to get back.” Engineer said firmly.

Something changed in Sniper’s eyes. Then he hugged Engineer tight and the Texan hugged him back, trying to hide his tears. Sniper was part of his family and Engineer couldn’t bear even the thought of losing any of them.

Engineer took first watch, kept alert by his unease. If Sniper hadn’t got up on his own Engineer wouldn’t have woken him. Sniper had to practically shove him into the tent.

“We can’t go anywhere ‘til light, mate. Might as well get some sleep.”

Engineer curled up in the bedroll, trying to follow Sniper’s advice. It took him an hour of tossing and turning but he eventually wrestled himself to unconsciousness.

He woke to a gunshot. He startled to his feet and was greeted by a note taped to the tent door.

_ I’m sorry. _

**Author's Note:**

> Was this sad? I tried but I don't know how good I am at writing sad.


End file.
